Guess whose Company won the bid for CA high speed rail?

And the beat goes on:

The Feds put together a task force to go after construction fraud, overruns and safety violations. Perini has been caught doing such things over and over again. They are absolutely ridiculous in California projects. It is like DBE fronting is a part of its business model. Overall fraud appears to be a part of that model also.

According to the Seattle News some of the Perini headlines read: “In February, Tutor-Saliba and Perini agreed to pay $19 million to settle racketeering and fraud allegations in a San Francisco airport project.” “In 2004, Perini agreed to pay the federal government $998,500 to settle fraud claims in the construction of an embassy building in Venezuela.” “The companies are embroiled in an 11 – year legal battle over $16 million in extra costs on a Los Angeles subway job.” “Perini sued for more than $170 million in cost overruns on three New York City projects during the 1990s before settling for about $22 million.”

Thanks for the post OP, more proof that Feinstein needs to go.

Originally posted by DirtyD

Originally posted by Wildbob77
This is a project where the estimate is over 60 billion dollars.

The true cost of the project will be 4 or 5 times that.

There is no need for high speed rail from Sacramento to LA that will justify the cost to the taxpayers. The ridership estimates have been fudged upwards by a factor of at least 3 times.

The System will have to be subsidized by the California taxpayers otherwise the tickets will be so expensive that no one will ride it.

It has been dubbed by many as High Speed Pork. Now we see that the primary person benefiting from this will be her royal highness Diane.So of course all the tax payers should be on the hook to further enrich her family.

So true. Looks like Diane has taken a page from the Pelosi handbook. Feinstien gets richer while the state goes deeper into the hole, this is the very definition of crony capitalism, and a great example of why our entire economy is quickly going down the tubes.

The last thing CA needs is a high speed rail system. The state is flat broke, cities are going bankrupt, and most people here would rather drive than take a train, I know I would.

And how much you want to bet that her husband's company gets an Obamacare waiver too.

edit on 26-4-2013 by DirtyD because: (no reason given)

+1

This train is practically useless for most people here. I used to drive between L.A. and San Fran often....aside from the cities, there is little to no traffic most of the time. This whole thing is nothing but a bunch of feelgood, green-energy horse# in the same vein as Solyndra.

The state is awash in bankruptcies, inefficiency, and downright corruption yet this project has been kept on the table so long that it's being held as some kind of Progressive holy grail. Pathetic.

reply to post by PsykoOps

The point is that sometimes certain companies get a little note that lets them know what the bids are. Then "certain connected companies" structure their offering to come under. Politics as usual.

There is nothing wrong with that project, the state needs it, and it will provide jobs. Wish there were more infrastructure projects in this country.

reply to post by GrantedBail

There is nothing wrong with that project, the state needs it, and it will provide jobs. Wish there were more infrastructure projects in this country.

The last thing California needs is a high speed rail system. If they want to spend money on infrastructure, how about fixing the San Onofre nuclear plant instead. But the fact is, the state is broke, and we shouldn't be spending money on new projects, especially when they're as worthless as this one, worthless to everyone except Diane Feinstein and her husband's company that is.

reply to post by DirtyD


San Onofre is privately owned. They want to restart the thing but the residents are having a fit. I am right next to it and that plant would wreck havoc on the beach towns in the area, not to mention the impact to other residents that don't sit on the ocean.

California has crap for mass transit. We need it. I have to disagree. Sometimes money needs to spent on infrastructure, it is a win win for the whole state.

What do you suggest we invest in?

California should enact something similar to Consolidated Appropriations Act Section 8125 which prohibits most federal agencies from contracting with corporations convicted of a felony in the past 24 months.

reply to post by angryjaimen


Feinstein is so freakin connected. Beeotch has deep deep roots here. Her and her war mongering husband have been sucking us all dry for decades. No one is gonna shut down that train coming at you at full speed.

California has crap for mass transit. We need it. I have to disagree. Sometimes money needs to spent on infrastructure, it is a win win for the whole state.

reply to post by GrantedBail


You're right, CA has crap for mass transit, but I don't see what good a new high speed rail system is going to do. We have massive budget deficits and this is a hugely expensive project that will only cost more as time goes on, hardly a win win in my book.

What do you suggest we invest in?

Well, our schools are overcrowded, prisons are overcrowded, police services being cut due to budget deficits, rampant gang violence, out of control illegal immigration, power shortages, water shortages, the list goes on. We should be addressing the problems we have instead of creating new ones.

reply to post by DirtyD


I hear ya. I am not going to disagree. However, any project that creates jobs is a good thing right now. I wish there were an answer to all of our ills, unfortunately there is not.

Peace out to you, fellow Californian

reply to post by PsykoOps


oh how naïve. government bidding is all about knowing the loop holes, and just as important, influencing how regulations get enforced depending on who you are.
an example: government Buy American clause. Contractors are required to purchase certain materials from US suppliers, which typically cost more than imports, UNLESS you can get a waiver. Having a powerful political connection who can give you the inside tract on getting waivers can deliver huge savings on a bid. that is just one tiny piece of the corruption that goes on.
bottom line is that the firm should have been disqualified from bidding, but that's how things roll in a fascist system.

Originally posted by PsykoOps
What's you problem if it's the lowest bid? That's how it should work.

How far do we have to go to spell it out for you?

Originally posted by neo96

Both questions have the same answer: Richard Blum, the husband of California senator Diane Feinstein.

What part of that are some people missing doesn't matter if red or blue when a sitting congressmans spouse is getting state contracts that is epic BS.

Hear that?

EPIC BS also called crony capitalism.

Seems like neo96 gets it. Blum should have never even made a bid.

I haven't seen any definitive proof that anything shady has taken place but come on, it is funny that he got the contract. Imagine if a Republican spouse got the contract, liberals would be screaming bloody murder at the corruption.

reply to post by GrantedBail


Yes I know that can happen. I have not seen any evidence that it has in this case thought. People are just assuming there has to be faul play because they don't like these people.

reply to post by robobbob


Oh how cute. How does that apply here?

reply to post by MidnightTide

Originally posted by MidnightTide
How far do we have to go to spell it out for you?

Not far. Show me where there is faul play.
Also these political affiliations are irrelevant to the topic.

I wonder if we aren't losing sight of the largest problem here? California is a state that, at the state level, is so far in the red and a financial hole they can't even maintain basic Court, Police and Emergency medical services in a growing % of the state. Is "high speed rail" really THAT much more important? I guess the people on the train can feel good they don't have to drive up the 101 or I-5 and be exposed to victimization in some of the very communities suffering the most from mismanagement of the state .....but shouldn't state government be FIXING problems rather than making entirely new ones??

High Speed rail would only make sense, in my opinion, if there were a massive number of workers on one end of the state with a matching selection of jobs on the OTHER by which those workers needed same day commute ability over that distance. Otherwise? This makes everyone money but the citizens of California. This helps the wealthy who can and have any reason to run L.A. to Frisco in record setting time .....while normal slobs can't get a police unit out for a Burglary IN PROGRESS at times, let alone take a report for one which already occurred. Corruption as usual in the Sunshine State.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000

Good post. I feel ya. A lot of the problems with the cities are due to their own funding shortfalls. The real estate bubble that burst really took away from the revenues many communities relied upon. We also cannot overlook the crappy investments that were made on REMBs, which hosed everyone. All the cities' pension funds were invested with Wall Street. There are a kazillion municipalities throughout the US that have been screwed by the TBTF banks.

Let's not overlook the real culprits.

reply to post by Signals


Hey, I guessed right, before reading the details in your post, OP. Do I win a prize?

Originally posted by muse7

Originally posted by PsykoOps
What's you problem if it's the lowest bid? That's how it should work.

She's a Democrat. That's his biggest problem with this.

I bet you won't hear a peep from him about Roy Blunt who is a corporate whore for Monsanto or the other countless Republicans that craft legislation that benefits their corporate masters instead of the people that elected them.

you communist

Originally posted by PsykoOps
What's you problem if it's the lowest bid? That's how it should work.

I would like to know the order the bids came in. My ex used to bid jobs for the roads in Ca, he had someone in the bid dept and he waited until the last minuet the bids could be accepted, the friend let him know what the lowest bid already in was. he got jobs right and left. At least that was how I perceived they were doing it, he didn't tell me who or details all i know is somehow it worked.

Originally posted by PsykoOps
What's you problem if it's the lowest bid? That's how it should work.

In my years as a contracting agent for the US government no lowball bid has ever come in at budget. These companies know how to game the system. They lowball a bid - get 50-60% through the project, use up all the allocated funds then come begging to the government for more so they can finish citing "unforeseen", weather, costs, labor issues, whatever it takes - the project is more than half done so they always get more money.

Also, lowball bids, especially for construction always end up with shoddy results needing several years and 25% increases to "fix unforeseen" issues with materials and workmanship.

It’s a scam...

Originally posted by PsykoOps
What's you problem if it's the lowest bid? That's how it should work.

No, it shouldn't be about the lowest.
It should be about the best.

reply to post by Signals


UK's 1st section of it's HS2 is going for £24 BILLION to do 80 miles - that's about $500 MILLION a mile, UK Peeps!

I don't like that woman.